Three+Column


 * Directions:** We will use this organizer to practice adding content to the wiki. Read the Introduction to //The Skin that We Speak//. Post two quotations that struck you as you read. In the second column, post a thought about the quotation - what it makes you consider, how it changes your thinking, ways you disagree, etc. Finally, respond to other people's thoughts in the third column. Our goal is to have lively discussion and to complete the entire chart before next class.


 * **Quotation (p. #)** || **Your Thoughts** || **Response from Classmates** ||
 * "The majority of the chilren of both ethnicities believed that the BE speaker, Kenneth, 'needed' the crayons more, with one European American boy, aged five and a half, saying that he would give crayons to Kenneth 'cause he don't have nothing' and one four-year-old European American girl indicating that she was afraid of Kenneth" (p. xvi) || What makes this quote so powerful for me is the dramatic contrast--the harshness of their words against the innocence of their age. It is a commanding example to begin this book, one that shows the deep and compelling role that language prejudice plays in all of our daily lives. I also think that this quote brings up important questions about what is really at stake in language stereotypes. Are these children really prejudiced against the way people speak, or is that a smoke screen for the underlying prejudices of race and class that undergird their comments? In other words, can these prejudices be separated out from one another, and is one of these prejudices more foundational and causal than the others? Just some thoughts... || Is it possible that all prejudice stems from a prejudice against the way people speak? ||
 * "The SE speaker was stereotyped as being more gentle,looking better, having better drawing ability, and being the symbol of success (the last idea was expressedby Population B [African American]). (p.xviii) || In an undergrad psychology course, I read about a study of the presence of prejudice in the mind's of young children. The children in the study were shown twophotos of the same child. The only difference in the photos is that one was technologically enhanced to make the child appear to be overweight. When asked which child the subject would rather be friends with, the overwhelming majority of the subjets pointed to the photo that showed the thin version of the child. When asked what the overweight child eats the children responded with answers such as "sticks, poop, dirt" and thought the thin child ate "cupcakes, candy, and icecream" The study proved that the subjects were too young too even understand the difference between healthy food and junk food but the children already had negitive stereotypes about children that are overweight. Reading about this study deeply upset me and reading this introduction from //The Skin That We Speak// brought those emotions back to me. This statement is not only awful but also extremely frightening. I'm confident that the majority of parents do not directly teach racism to their pre-schoolers. The fact that society's underlining racism is so embedded in our society that it is apparent to four year olds is terrifying. There is a immediate need for extreme change in our culture. - Angela Camera || I completely agree. More and more, especially now that I am student teaching, I am seeing subconscious differences in the way students react towards race - and most of the reactions are subliminal. Today in class there was a Hispanic male 8th grader talking to an African American male 7th grader. In the course of their conversation, the 8th grader commented on the fact that the 7th grader was Black. Immediately the 7th grader responded that he did not like to be called "black" and did not call the Hispanic 8th grader "tan" whenever he wanted to refer to his ethnicity (which I was very proud to hear that word). So the Hispanic student then questioned if it was suffice to call the 7th grader "brown" or "negro" because he had heard it elsewhere. At this point, the 7th grader began to get quiet and embarrassed. I then entered the conversation and asked the 7th grader what he would like to be called that way no one at the table would offend him. The 7th grader finally responded with "African American" - to which another student at the table exclaimed, "I didn't know you were from Africa" - which he is not. So much of the politically correct terms are not lost on our youth. They pick it up and use it in ways that we do not think they would and cannot define. Not only are our youth exposed to these words and the stereotypes that come along with them, but they are left some times with no way to defend themselves from it either. - Robert Alicea.

Angela, Your post reminds me of a recent article in NEWSWEEK magazine. http://www.newsweek.com/id/214989 You can check it out here. Like the study you read this article also upset me. What I noticed most in the Newsweek article was that change had to begin within the home. Parents need to be more aware of how to make their children culturally aware and tolerant. -Lauren King

I read the article you posted Lauren and I found it quite interesting. I never would've thought teaching children about race is almost as taboo as teaching them about sex in that some parents think that if they don't bring it up, then it's not an issue in the same way parents think that if they don't talk about sex, then their kids won't have it. KS

Thanks for that post Lauren, I found it very interesting. - Angela Camera || -Shana Goldstein || I cannot say I am surprised that one's language takes priority over one's race. I know from my past work experience that when my company didn't hire someone, the reasons had more to do with the person's eloquence, speech and language than the person's skin color. --Kristen Sardis.
 * "The very clear answer was that information from the speech sample //always// [emphasis added] took priority over that from the photograph or the school-work..." (p. XIX) || I'm fairly surprised that one's language so often takes priority over one's race. While on the one hand, this might highlight peoples' conscious attempts not to judge a face based on race, it simultaneously emphasizes their subconscious prejudices against anything Black, as discussed by Baldwin. This reminds me of a fact that I learned in my history of baseball class- when choosing a baseball player to break the race barrier, Branch Rickey (manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers) chose Jackie Robinson not because he was the best Black baseball player, but because he was the best-spoken Black baseball player. Rickey thought that Jackie Robinson would be the candidate best accepted by the white public because he sounded the most like them.

In some countries where the majority of the population is of similar race, what has to take precedence is that individual's command of the language. -- E.P

You bring up a good point Kristen. As unfair as it is,it is apparent that being well-spoken is highly valued in our country. People often fail to realize how unfair this practice is. Not all people are raised speaking SE from birth and it is unfair to hold this against them. These people are clearly are at a disadvantage when a compnay is judging a job candidate and considers their dialect when making a decision. Change is necessary. -Angela Camera || -Shana Goldstein || I agree. In my experience, the teachers with the lowest expectations, based on the students' spoken language or otherwise, undoubtedly have the worst results with regards to student performance. -CA ||
 * "...it may not be the children's language that causes educational problems, but the educational bureaucracy's response to the language." (p. XXIII" || I definitely think that it is possible that children's failure in the classroom can often be a result of educators' responses to their language. This corresponds with the pygmalion effect, shown in the Rosenthal-Jacobson study (1968), in which teachers' expectations for their students influenced the students' actual progress in the class. If teachers expect students to fail, based on their spoken language, they likely create a self-fulfilling prophesy.
 * "Our language embraces us long before we are defined by any other medium of identity. In our mother's womb we hear and feel the sounds, the rhythms, the cadences of our 'mother tongue.'" Our home language is as viscerally tied to our beings as existence itself..."' (XVII) || My initial thought when I read this paragraph was that it was a little dramatic. Then I thought about the first time someone commented on my "Queens accent." I was in college and my new friends kept asking me to repeat certain words (water, mother, etc.) and while I thought it was funny, I felt somewhat uncomfortable. I always thought I was fairly well-spoken and eloquent. I told my mother that my friends made fun of my accent and she replied, "What accent?" It was then I realized that I was so caught up in my own little bubble, where I spoke just like everyone else around me and that I could easily be judged based on my so-called accent.I completely agree with this statement that, right or wrong, our language defines us more than anything else. My experience is just a fraction of what Ernie Smith discusses in chapter two.--Kristen Sardis || I never thought of language as an identifier before I read this chapter. Like Kristen, my Long Island accent was the source of endless entertainment to my friends during our freshman year of college (most of my friends are Midwesterners). Accent, vernacular -- sure, those can help identify provide minor clues about a person (where he's from or if he's educated, for example). But to actually listen on a deeper level for what Delpit calls that "language skin?" I don't think I've ever consciously done that. The sounds that surround us become part of us, whether we want them to or not. We can change our speech, modify it in some way, like our appearance. But wouldn't that be denying who we are?

— Jen Misthal

I have always been curious about the connection between language and identity, especially with respect to accents. Growing up on LI, my mother strived to conceal her Dominican ethnicity and assimilate to the predominantly white classmates; she has lighter skin and does not speak with an accent. My current cooperative teacher is also lighter skinned but consciously and comfortably speaks in a very heavy accent as a testament to her Dominican pride. This does not make one woman more or less Dominican than the other, but I am sure others' perceptions of them will differ based on their language alone. -Kate Scudellari || — Jen Misthal || I don't find it to be much a stretch to assume that language, both its possibilities and its limitations, play a huge role in shaping identity. Our worlds are defined by the the words we use to talk about them- we understand the world and our place in it based on the vocabulary we learn from our community. How we refer to the world is the way we demonstrate our understanding of its boundaries and how we interact with them- our way of discovering who we are. In our thoughts we shape our ideas in a particular language- English is the medium in which I think, and so- English is part of what defines me. And at the same time- it's how the rest of the world appraises us as individuals- judging our speech, valuing our language. - Bryan Cary || The way we speak is very public. As I look at this quote, I can't help but thinking about all the times I mispronounced a word while reading aloud in class and the embarassment that ensued. Speech and the language we use to convey our thoughts is intricately linked to what's going on inside our heads, more than the outfit we're wearing our the color of skin. There's a minimal filter there and that makes language a prime target for judgment, assumptions or ridicule.
 * "Just as our skin provides us with a means to negotiate our interactions with the world — both in how we perceive our surroundings and in how those around us perceive us — our language plays an equally pivotal role in determining who we are" (xvii) || Language is important. Locating the right words or expressing yourself clearly is essential when you're conveying your thoughts. But the notion that language can determine who we are? That's boggling my mind at the moment. I think language provides insight, clues about people, rather than take an active role in development. You can hear the education, or lack of, in a person's language. Or you can hear where they came from. I notice this when my brother talks to my nephews. He incorporates Yiddish words when he talks to them. When they're tired, he asks if they want to rest their "kepeles" (heads). He does that because our mother asked us in the same way, because that's how her parents asked her. Language is an of our most influential voices, ever changing and growing.
 * "This issue of language use in school is particularly volatile. The commencement of formal education is usually one of the first settings in a person's life when their language may be judged as right or wrong; when assumptions may be made about their intelligence, family life, future potential, or more fiber every time a sentence is uttered" (xx). || I wouldn't have talked until my high school graduation if I had known language could be used as another means to cast judgment. It was bad enough trying to dress and act the right way.

— Jen Misthal || It is really difficult for us to think about the fact that we are judged for our language. Jen, I liked how you said the way we speak is very public and with a minimal filter. Our language is something so intrinsic to who we are as people that it shouldn't be so vulnerable to judgments. Yet it seems this immediate judgment is something most people do on an unconscious level. -Lauren King

Aside from physical appearances, the first insight into a person's mind and personality is through his or her speech and language. It's unfortunate that this immediate judgement takes place. When going for a job interview, the interviewer is not only going to look at how you dress and your resume but how you present yourself through speech. As we grow up, we learn how to present ourselves, or how we wish to present ourselves. As a child, we have no inhibitions when speaking and using language. But as we grow, we are much more aware of how public our speech is and the judgments that my be passed. -T Chillemi || -Shana Goldstein ||
 * "The omission of an "s", an unusual inflection, or a nasalized word ending can indicate to listeners exactly where inthe social hierarchy a speaker should be assigned". xxviii || This particular quote made me think immediately of my hometown. Being from a suburb outside of Trenton (the second "t" is omitted by those of us with a //true// local accent), there is a very distinct way of speaking. This accent, a blend of Philadelphia's, New York's, and somehow a bit of the south's, often disappears from those who leave the area for college or any other reasons. When we return home, our accent comes back to us. Like Kristin, I didn't know I had an accent until I went away to school. I too was embarrassed and felt judged. When speaking in classes I was sure to soften my a's, pronounce my t's, and speak more clearly. A particular accent defines who we are, but is there a time and a place for that accent? Just as people use different language in their professional and home life, should we be thinking about changing our accents as well? Lauren King || Like other people on this wiki, I, too, have been asked to model my "New York accent" for groups of people. This was especially common while I studied abroad in London, where my friends couldn't get enough of hearing me speak. However, I must admit that, at least to my face, this has all been in jest. I do not feel as though I've ever been assigned to a spot in a social hierarchy based on my speech. This makes me realize, though, the fine line between jest and harmful judgment and how careful we must be, especially in the classroom, at not crossing that line.
 * "...if school considers someone's language inadequate, they'll probably fail." (xix) || It strikes me as a sad comment that what all this boils down to is the fact that content has been rendered virtually meaningless. We determine the value of a statement based on its tone and pitch, ready to disregard the idea or the motivation behind it, or worse- never even realizing there is one. It also troubles me that this tendency might extend far beyond the school years and into public life- that schools don't do enough to break this horrible habit, in turn creating a society where what one says never means as much as how one says it- a society where failure is predetermined. - Bryan Cary || Bryan, I too found this quote troublesome and contemplating responding to it. I don't know much about our education system (this is my first full semester at Fordham), but there seems to be this knee-jerk reaction to designate what is not understood as failure. It's unfortunate and heartbreaking. But it also reflects our society which is inclined to dismiss anything that is different. The more I consider this thought, the more I can't help but think it might be (unfortunately) true. Schools have limited resources and aren't always well-equipped to handle "normal" (whether normal exists, and what it is, that's a whole other debate). But without the resources to help students, is it really a surprise when they fail? — Jen Misthal

I never thought that one's intelligence could be based on the way they speak. Although I see the valid points, I want some text to focus more on just accents or vernacular and beyond race. I read on to the first two chapters and they embrace this idea. However, I know some people who hate any southern accent or 'twang' because it makes the person sound uneducated, even if they use larger words and have a fluid speech pattern. And it makes me wonder if it is like this anywhere else in the world. - Robert Alicea || Similarly, I always try to incorporate some of the BE and Spanish words and phrases that I hear my students using into my class discussions and lessons and my students think it is absolutely hysterical; it sort of is I guess. But I have, on numerous occasions, had students tell me, in all seriousness, that I am "not white" even though I am of German-Scottish descent! I am only beginning to understand the complex cultural and linguistic implications of this but I think this text is really going to help me unlock the linguistic nuances of the relationships between students and of the relationships they have with me and other teachers. -CA || It is interesting how race becomes subjective as a result of language (i.e., a black student who speaks in a “white” manner). Undoubtedly, SE is necessary to be successful in the classroom and beyond, but students may be chastised because SE implies an inherent threat or negation of the native language. While sensitive to all languages, it would be most beneficial to speak primarily in SE because students need to learn from the teacher as the expert; after all, they probably are not hearing SE in their more intimate/private circles. –Kate Scudellari I think the issue here is that the accusers, on any side, need to be educated on the benefits of speaking two languages well, not just being able to get by. Speaking several languages needs to become a positive skill, not selling out because it does not erase anything, it only adds to the facets of the individual. - Matt Duffy || -Kate Scudellari || Kate, I completely agree, and I think this should be a main focal point of what is taught to teachers. I think, in the past, we as a society have been so concerned with getting everyone to conform to one norm, when we should be embracing our individuality. Everyone I know who speaks two or more languages well, especially those who learned them young, has an innate ability to adapt very quickly in many different situations. The question is not which language to teach, it's how do we get them to master both languages.- Matt Duffy || I whole-heartedly believe that many civilians, including educators are either unaware or in denial of the unconscious racism that exists. Before these people can change their attitudes and practices it is essential that they become aware of them. It is only after one is aware of their own unconscious racism that they can teach their students change. As the article Lauren previously posted implies, this can not be solely the responsibility of the educator. Parents have to be encouraged to teach their children to become culturally aware - Angela Camera ||   ||
 * "During each of the peaks of pubic interest in African American language and education, scholars have pointed out, but with little public attention, that it may not be the children's language that causes educational problems, but the educational bureaucracy's response." (xxii) || The second half of this quote has already been talked about, but I think the first part also tells us something about the state of education- that interest in education itself, its problems and the process of finding solutions is a passing one. Americans regard the problems in education as they might any other hot button issue- getting excited for a time and then moving on to something else before any progress has been made or any problems have been solved. As teachers we'll be entering a situation that has little in the way of public commitment to support it. The issues in education have no quick fix answers- how do we deal with that knowing the attention of the public is constantly shifting?- Bryan Cary || I agree with the previous statement. Too many times are things said to change and never do. It is up to us as teachers to teach regardless of whether something is state mandated or not. It will be up to all of us in the classroom to consistently support education. - Robert Alicea ||
 * "...our appearance can serve to create an expectation of success or failure...but our language "skin" provides an even more precise mechanism for determining status." (xviii) || I see this all the time. In the inner-city classroom, African American and Latino students who speak "proper" Standard English are frequently chastised by their peers for trying to be "white," for thinking they are better than everyone else and for rejecting their own culture. I'm never really sure what to think about this. I understand where the "accusers" are coming from, but is the speaking of SE necessarily a rejection of race and culture?
 * "Further, we attempt to provide teachers insight into the educational dispositions necessary to expand the language repertoires of children, while at the same time maintaining their connection to their mother tongue" (XXII). || In spite of the formal (public) language taught in schools, I agree that the native (or private) language should be valued and maintained due to its very important role to LEP/ELLs' academic success. In //Promoting Academic Success for ESL Students//, Collier affirms: "We must encourage language minority parents to speak the first language at home, not to speak English" because the student's cognitive skills develop primarily via the first language, which is then easily transferable to the second (Collier, 1995, p. 14). As the "English Only" policy, or denying the existence of another language, would be highly detrimental to the student's achievement, the connection to L1 must remain to promote the student’s proper growth and development.
 * " Just as our skin provides us with a means to negotiate our interactions with the world- both in how we perceive our surroundings and in how those around us perceive us- our language plays an equally pivotal role in determining who we are..."(xvii) || This made me smile. Many people are judged based on their language,rather than the way they use language.What I think is interesting is that many times assumptions are reached about an individual's ability rather than identity based on their language.I have experienced on numerous occasions, being judged by my speech. I have a foreign accent and have been judged by my fellow teachers, parents and students just a few seconds after a mere introduction. On the other hand, our language does shape us culturally and contributes to our identity, e.g I am Ms Prince, the teacher with the accent. -Edolla Prince (E.P) ||  ||
 * "Schools often see themselves, as and are seen by the larger society, as the arbiters of what is proper,correct,and descent. African American language forms have been considered none of the above. Thus there are continual moves to eliminate its presence in classrooms..."(xviii) || What is interests and puzzles me is whether the idea of eliminating the presence of African American language from schools is limited to spoken language. If not, will the works of many African American writers who use BE in some of their works be removed from the school's curriculum? Just to name a few Sonia Sanchez,Maya Angelo, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and Nikki Giovanni. -E.P ||  ||
 * “We wrote short skits about local people who were ‘colorful’ because of the Trinidadian language…This opportunity, to write and act these familiar characters, gave me a new lease on life” (10). || This quote also emphasizes the complementary importance of maintaining the native language. Again, I am reminded of Collier (1995), who outlines ways teachers can support language development, including “allowing social use of first language outside of classes” and “encouraging extracurricular activities and school celebrations in students’ first language” (15-16). In addition to encouraging students' academic progress, this method's familiarity promotes self-esteem, celebrates diversity, and educates other students to foster cross-cultural understanding. -Kate Scudellari || I believe confidence is essential to a student's success in the classroom. If a student's culture is seen as inferior their self-esteem is sure to suffer. Celebrating diversity in the classroom will not only help students develop into genuinely tolerant adults but will also give each individual student the confidence they need. - Angela Camera ||
 * "They posited that the country's perception of African Americans was such that, given the history of racism in the United States, it attached inferiority to all things black. Therefore, African American Language would be so categorized" (xxi-xxii) || I have often wondered how the Civil Rights Movement could have been different if Malcolm X wore it's face and not Dr. King, nevermind if neither of them was ever assassinated. Dr. King was accepted by a white American society as the voice of the movement because he was more eloquent and less volatile than Malcolm. Yet, Malcolm faced a greater foe than Martin, he faced a racism hidden behind smiling faces while Dr. King faced a racism that was out in the open. When Dr. King came to the northern cities to preach towards the end of his life, he was shocked and admitted to having a greater admiration for Malcolm. But Malcolm was too harsh, to up front, and way too hostile for most white people to accept his message. He didn't speak Standard English, he spoke (what our intro author has deemed) Black English, but his message (especially once he strayed from the Nation of Islam) was the same as Martin's. His departure from the Nation also saw a change in his rhetoric, but it was too late, he was already deemed an "angry black man", and thus, "categorized...(as) the bottom of the social order" (xxii). Martin was the eloquent one, the one who "spoke well" and so he was accepted, just like all athletes today who "speak well". I believe this parallels the introduction, and I pose the question, would Dr. King's message have been as effective if Malcolm didn't exist? If white America didn't have a militant black man to worry about, would they have been so eager to listen to an eloquent preacher? Thus, is the issue of language simply a matter of perspective? If Ebonics was treated the same as Spanish or French, so that students who spoke Ebonics as their first language at home were treated as ESL students, would race and class cease to be an issue in the matter? - Matt Duffy ||  ||
 * "She asks teachers to explore unconscious racism in both their attitutudes and their practices in order to allow all students to understand the powerful legacy of the civil rights movement and to embrace it as their own.' (xxvi) ||
 * "...African American children were failing out of school in large numbers. ...Educational scholars, casting about for blame, speculated about the cause of the problem and hit upon the idea that the children's inferior language language was the cause of their learning problem." - xxi || I am a firm believer in the idea that there is no wrong language, no language is better or worse than another - although there are contexts where one is more efficient. Some of the other quote explanations have touched on very dire ideas: educational clauses set out to fix problems, but often lack in prospects, some just become the topic of debate and fade out like the aftertaste of the flavor of the week, some topics are treated as taboo and are never brought to the attention of anyone even though subconsciously most people act on it. This quote is important to me because I, too, am a bilingual speaker and have struggled in my life between my languages. However, this was during a revolution of equality. Most teachers may have begun to loathe the language because of the skin, therefore not realizing that this is not an 'inferior language' and instead a form of English that they could help shape. Now it is not an issue of race. Many of the students in my classroom are Hispanic and African American and speak in certain ways, yet there are other students who are Caucasian and speak the same way because they live in the same neighborhood. Language can be linked to a trend, socio-economic status or culture and this is something as teachers we all must know. And I am glad I read this and will continue to read this book and try no long to make assumptions based on how one speaks, or their intelligence level. One can be intelligent and mute. - Robert Alicea ||  ||
 * "Because most of my encounters with the urban school system were, in the main, very negative, I had no aspirations or intentions whatsoever of pursuing a post-secondary education." (19) || Ernie Smith's feelings toward his experience in his urban school setting after being described as "acting out" in his school is unfortunate, but not out of the ordinary. During my first couple weeks of student teaching, I was glad to see that my school doesn't seem to group their 8th graders into track systems. That is to say that there is no "dumb class" with a group of students expected to act out. While it is not the exact same thing, I remember going to school with friends who were tracked with a group of kids who were treated like they were not supposed to go to college. I feel like the way they were treated affected their behavior is class, their attitude toward school, and their confidence in their academic ability. - John Vircillo ||  ||
 * "Despite both scholarly research and the various public explosions and language and language use, it is clear from Joan wynnes' article (chapter 12), from visits to any lcassroom, and from the persistent achievement gap between African American and white students, that teachers do not know what to do about language diversity in their classrooms." (xxiv) || This sentences, from near the end of the introduction, struck me because I know it is true about me. I really do not know what I'm doing. I often do not even know what language to use to speak about language diversity. I'm pleased that this class is required by Fordham. I'm disappointed that my Catholic school doesn't required teachers to have gone through certification. I've been teaching for five years with no real instruction. At Catholic school, I think, we "get away" with enforcing Standard English. There isn't much politically correct consiousness in my school. I worry about someday teaching in a public school. But I wonder what this discussion sounds like outside of NYC andf outside of Fordham. ||  ||
 * "The Head Start Program, in large part, was initiated to mitigate the 'culturally and liguistically deprived' homes of poor African American children." (xxi) || During 2006-2007, 1,071,697 children and pregnant women were enrolled in the Head Start Program. Of those, 40% were white, 30% were Black or African American, 18% were of unspecified race, 5% were bi- or multi-racial and 7% were American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Isalnder and other. Of all people served, 65% were non-Hispanic, 35% were Hispanic (http://www.nhsa.org/files/static_page_files/A97D606C-1D09-3519-AD7E2646D5EA7CDB/08FactSheetHSBasics.pdf). The Head Start Program boasts about its success, students are, by the spring of their kindergarten year, at normal levels (http://www.nhsa.org/files/static_page_files/A97D0E16-1D09-3519-AD6A427CB89EA478/08FactSheetHSWorks.pdf). I don;t know much about Head Start, but it's certainly a bad sign that some people think the program necessary to help students start on level with their peers. ||  ||